A Simple Equation
by Roarax
Summary: A not-so-honest mistake leads to the realization of uncanny feelings. Ivy/Rachel
1. Differences

The fire cackled; its light shone throughout the room, and the warmth exuding from the pit was just enough for me not to need a blanket to stay warm. I was home, with nothing to do, so sweatpants hugged my legs and a baggy T-Shirt made certain I not be accused of indecency—Jenks' kids had a tendency of flitting through the house, even passed their bedtime, and I was sure their father wouldn't be impressed if they returned in tears after having seen me topless. I took another sip of white wine, and placed the glass back down onto the table when the flames rumbled with what could almost be perceived as aggression, demanding sustenance.

I reached over to where I has placed the stack of a month's-worth of newspapers so I wouldn't have to get up every single time, and threw the headline of "Were couple gives birth to litter of sextuplets!" into the fire. I stumbled a little when my spine met the back of the chair once more, and I attributed the unusually prominent clumsiness to the fact that I'd been drinking alone for what was now a good three hours. I sighed, my mood creeping more and more towards utter boredom as the grandfather clock in the other room ticked continuously. Jenks was asleep, along with his brood, and Ivy was out on a run. Again. _God, I need to get a job._

I had no current job, no obligations whatsoever. In addition, however, I didn't have a boyfriend, a life, or motivation to do anything—so did that mean the lack of pleasure neutralized the lack of responsibilities? The more I thought about it, the more my existence seemed a waste of oxygen on this Earth. I went to take another sip of wine, oddly enough to find the glass empty. So, I did the logical thing and reached for the bottle. Also empty.

_I finished the entire bottle?_ The thought hadn't occurred to me that I could have finished the expensive liquid in such a short time, but I'd had a lot on my mind these past few days, and I needed something to make me forget. The clock ticked louder, mocking me; I stuck my tongue out at it. _Stupid clock._

I stood up, stabilizing myself against the wall as I did, and managed to get to the end of the room without that much difficulty. I felt a pounding in my head; not anything painful, a simple throb of blood pulsing against my temples and creating the most beautiful of melodies. The ceiling descended towards me with contemptuous ease, and I pointed towards it in warning. "S-stop. Don't make me…come up there."

My words slurred, though I couldn't help but giggle at how swiftly the ceiling obeyed.

"Umm…Rachel?"

I turned. Too fast—tripping over my own ankles and falling to the floor. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting to smash the back of my head against the hardwood floor. Instead, I found myself holding my breath for no reason when I fell into a strong pair of arms. I opened one eye first, unsure as to whether it was safe or not. A figure was above me, brows creased in worry and lips parted in a quizzical manner. I reached upwards with my hand, palm cupping a cheek and thumb creeping lower to brush over the texture of that silky bottom lip…

My breath rushed out of me when the arms embracing me let go, and the back of my head did, indeed, end up smashing against the hardwood. I gritted my teeth, hissing in pain and bringing that same hand to the back of my skull to rub the throbbing away. The shock of falling had jarred me into mild coherency, and I sat up, crossing my legs beneath me to create a better balance. I looked up, finding that same figure about eight feet away: crouched low and back arched in defence. Her raven-black hair partially covered her unblemished visage, messed and matted to the sides of her face. In any other circumstance, the vampire would have taken a few seconds to re-arrange her coiffure, but in this instance, she seemed otherwise preoccupied.

I stared into those black depths; her pupils having taken up the entire space of her irises and most of the white in her eyes. And yet, despite the lack of precision coming from those black orbs, I knew Ivy Tamwood was staring directly at me. Her gaze dropped, noticeably, to my neck. Despite this very obvious portrayal of hostility, however, I found myself unafraid. The palms of my hands found the floor, and I hoisted myself upwards with success on the third try.

I took a step towards her, and the vampire stumbled backwards. _It's interesting_—was all that went through my mind, despite the visible fear present within the abyss of her dangerous glare—_the way I can make her lose control. All I have to do is this…_

I took another step, and so did she stumble again.

"Rachel, stop." She had fallen on her backside in the process of trying to get away from me, and now had her hands curled into fists at her sides. "Please. Don't."

I sat down in front of her and placed both my hands on both of her knees and leaned forward. My words were strung together, almost incomprehensible. "We n-need to…talk."

"Have you been drinking…?" Her voice was still a little shaky, and she had begun to breathe at more of a human speed, but I could tell the vampire was still controlling herself. I didn't blame her—I was pushing way too many buttons. "You smell like—"

"I want to share blood," I cut her off, looking her in the eyes and expecting a smile to form upon her delicate features. I knew she wanted this, and I did too. This was to make her happy.

"Rachel…" her voice was full of worry, even though it took her a few moments of deep breathing to be able to utter my name. "Please don't do this, now. Let me put you to bed, and we'll talk about this tomorrow. Okay?"

"Do you want to?" I asked her.

"Dear heart…"

"I want to." I spoke the words as if it were a sin to voice them aloud. "I really do."

Her jaw clenched in irritation, and she lurched forward to push at my shoulders with the open palms of her hands. Her brows were creased with an intense hostility, and it didn't take much for her to curl her lip upwards, aggressively, to reveal the glistening surface of canines. Her teeth were white, inhumanly so, enough to be presented in a toothpaste commercial. For a reason unknown, I couldn't help but to ogle those pearly whites—they were almost mesmerizing.

"Is this what you want?" She was screaming, and I saw a glistening moisture form over the cornea of her eyes: pupils only slightly dilated and chocolate irises shining with emotion—she was trying to scare me off. "I could rip your throat out before you even utter a word, Rachel. And you _know_ that."

My lips were parted and my shoulders began to throb where she pushed at them. I was at a loss for words, and in my incoherent state all I could offer as means of interaction was the twitching of my lips as if I were gasping for air.

"God," she breathed in a mix of frustration and exasperation, releasing her hostile grip, "you're such a fucking idiot. Why do I even bother loving y—"

She let out a cry of surprise when I interrupted her with my own lips upon hers, the vampire jerking backwards. Her bottom lip was swollen and red where my teeth had caught onto it, and her eyes were wide in astonishment. My mind was racing, my thoughts were scattered where they shouldn't be wandering, and my skull still throbbed because of the impact upon hardwood. It was difficult to focus, and I eyed the heavily-breathing vampire sitting not but a few feet away from me. _What did I just do exactly?_

"You…" the woman was at loss for words, the lump in her throat bobbing up and down every time she swallowed because of an emotion unknown. Was it fear? Anxiety?

I licked my lips and caught my bottom lip between my canines, smiling like a complete idiot. _I had just kissed a girl._ My thoughts were still coherent, I realized after a few moments of watching her wide eyes dart across the room before falling once again upon my features. I could still think for myself at this point; I was still very much aware of the danger that this entailed. I knew I had pushed Ivy to the point of no return with such an action, and I knew that there would be no one to help me survive if I chose to scream.

However, I didn't feel the need to. It was the prospect of _consequences_ that eluded my entirely at the present moment—the menace that the vampire posed was nothing compared to the thrill of excitement coursing through me. There was a faint buzz in my head warning me of my previous intake of alcohol, but nothing mattered right now at the exception of the weight and feel of her generous breasts within the palms of my hands. I stared at her chest for a good while, mouth agape in slight awe and not really caring what she thought of me right now as long as she didn't prevent me from ogling her.

"You k-kissed me."

She finished her sentence after what seemed like too long passed the appropriate length to repeat a phrase without sounding strange. I didn't even look up and into her eyes when I shrugged and pouted my lip in a silly manner. "And now I'm staring at your boobs. Big whoop, Captain Obvious."

The vampire instinctively folded her arms across her chest, probably not realizing that the pressure simply duplicated the effect of a push-up bra. I looked up despite the alluring picture, the sudden change of stance snapping me back into a mild coherency and therefore politeness. _It isn't appropriate to stare at your best friend's knockers, Rachel,_ I scolded myself, _she can prrrobably tell you're taking her nipples as substitute for her eyes._

"What are you doing, witch?" Her voice was devoid of emotion, holding nothing but raw inquisition. There was no hope, fear, or anger present in her words. She was tired of being struck down, therefore kept her walls high and her expectations low. "Just what, exactly, are you trying to accomplish."

I stated it simply: "I want to share blood."

"_Fuck_ you." Her nostrils flared and she narrowed her eyes. "I'm tired of your games, Rachel. What do you want?"

My eyes drifted once again to her chest, and I smiled. "I want to share blood and sex."

Ivy's features were still devoid of any emotion as she eyed me for lies. It was understandable that the vampire be defensive after all this time, but because I knew her so well—probably better than anyone ever had—I saw passed her solid fortress and into the desperation lurking beneath her flesh. Her visible reaction was minimal, though she chose her next words carefully and with deliberate hesitation.

"You're...not sober, dear heart."

"No," I blinked a few times to set the blur that was my vision into focus. "And you're attractive. Two plus two equals four."

Her lips parted and she inhaled, her mind prepared to spit a retort from the tip of her tongue—but the vampire stopped herself, brows coming together in inquisition. Her weight shifted, and I could see her every thought cross those pitch-black pupils. She wanted to kiss me again; I could almost smell the desire coming off of her in waves. Her hands were still fisted at her sides, her generous chest heaving as she eyed me from between the stray strands of ink-black hair that had fallen into the path of her vision.

Without giving it thought, I leaned forward to press my lips to hers—well aware that if I didn't make the first move, there would be no progression at all. Ivy's open palm came up between my breasts, keeping me at an arm's distance even as her eyes begged for me to come closer. She breathed my name—

"Rachel…"

I hit her arm away with my elbow, and flung myself towards her: lips locking and twining my fingers in the darkness of her hair. The vampire let emit a small whimper of surprise, before sighing and wrapping her strong arms around me as her mouth moved against mine. She fell limp beneath me, letting my hands grope at her with aggression and little-to-no respect for her well-being. I huffed, intensifying my actions to try and pull something,_ anything_ from her. My hands wandered without hesitation towards her bra, her delicious waist, and the apex of her thighs. Her eyes squeezed shut as I hit that last spot, and she threw her head back to expose her bare throat: an act of vampire submission.

_No!_

I cupped her harder, and sent my free hand flying across her cheek with an audible smack. The vampire gasped, moving away from me with a sudden urgency in her wide eyes. I watched, in a mixture of fascination and accomplishment, as Ivy's pupils shimmered into emphasis, engulfing the entire whites of her eyes. Her red, swollen lips curled back, and the gleaming danger of her fangs was placed into evidence once more. A low growl rumbled in her throat, and she rose up off of the ground to come face-to-face with me in a way that I hadn't seen her move at all.

I inched forward, unafraid. "If I wanted to fuck a ragdoll, vampire, I would have bought one at the store and gone to my room with it."

My tone was harsh, domineering, and my words were slurred—as if attached together with a string that was strung too tight. The taste of alcohol was still very much present upon my taste buds, and the heat of my breath was disturbing even to my own nostrils. The vampire before me was breathing heavily, eyes dilated and livid.

"You don't know what you're doing…" Her voice was hoarse, raw with need. My stomach tightened at the mere sound of it escaping her lips, and I felt my pulse skip a beat.

I suppressed the urge to reach forward and remove the untamed strands of hair from her eyes, and bit my lip to keep from giggling. The fact of the matter was that I was very much aware of what I was doing to her; it was merely the notion of repercussion that eluded me. As if on cue, my smile grew wider to show the top row of my teeth, bottom lip still firmly held between their maws. I let escape an excited titter; "Kiss me again?"

Ivy's lips softened, parting and giving her face an expression of intrigue. She didn't stop to think, and her touch was in no way hesitant, as she pushed herself forward to capture my lips between her own, hands on either side of my face and nails digging into my cheeks. The vampire quite literally stole my breath away, pressing her body upon mine and claiming my lips as her own as she ravaged me in every way possible. Her hands roamed my body, and I almost squealed when she trailed them up the hem of my shirt to graze her nails upon my bare stomach.

I may have had no idea what I was in for, but she knew _exactly_ what she was doing.

"Mmm…Ivy," I spoke her name, pushing upwards into her to soak in as much of the vampire as I possibly could, but felt the air escape my lungs in a huff of exhale as Ivy Tamwood pushed me down.

Her touch was harsh, her eyes completely black, and her posture feral. In a slow, torturous motion, one of her hands crept upwards to my neck, fingers curling around my throat. Her movements were measured and deliberate, even as she let her head drop next to mine, lips barely inches from the shell of my ear. She held me submissive, allowing only a hot and moist breath to tease my ear when nothing else showed sign of movement. Then, she spoke:

"Do you want to know how long I've been waiting for this, Rachel?" The words escaped her in a raw whisper. "Can you even _begin_ to imagine how many times this exact scene has gone through my dreams, waking me up with a damp heat pooling between my legs?"

For but a moment, I forgot how to breathe. "N-no…"

"Look where it's lead us, dear heart. See what you've done? I'm out of my fucking mind!" She pressed her body harder against mine as a fit of misplaced laughter burst from her, altering too rapidly from hysterics to an aroused moan. "God, you don't even _know_ what you do to me."

Her whispers, her tone, and the placement of her gorgeous figure were the perfect variables of an equation to produce the result of an unbearable tension at the apex of my thighs. I pushed up against her to attain some sort of release, but she pulled away, a malicious smile curving her lips. She was teasing me.

I pushed upwards into her, but the vampire's hand came down once again on my chest to hold me back. I didn't let her push me directly onto the floor, however, keen on making my dignity evident. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at my resistance, and I saw a smile twitch the corners of her lips. She spoke to me in a soft, but hard tone: "You cannot best me, dear heart. Despite what you might think, I will always be smarter, stronger, and smoother than you."

"Oh yeah?" My slurs became more pronounced as I raised my tone, breath coming in a rush out of my lungs as I pushed harder against the weight of her arm against my sternum. "Well you just think you're all high-and-mighty, don't you, Tamwood? I think you're all bark and no fucking bite. Hmm? That's what I think. I think that you pretend to be fucking perfect, but in truth, all you are is push-up bras and layers upon layers of _fucking_ make-up."

Her eyes narrowed, lips curling upwards to form a full smile. "You swear too much when you're drunk."

"Well _you're_ changing the subject. Just admit that you're a fu—"

Her open palms came down painfully on the muscles of my shoulders, and my back hit the ground with an unhealthy smash. Her entire weight fell upon me, chest against mine, and the zipper of her jeans rubbed against the crotch of my loose sweatpants. This time, despite me, I could not even inch upwards a millimetre closer to her figure, since she was making a conscious effort. I realized that before, she had simply been lazily holding me down, letting her natural weight fall upon me. Now, she was trying. And she was strong. So. Goddamn. Strong.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Her every word was emphasized and harsh; each one owning its own sentence. Ivy's pupils had engulfed the chocolate of her irises, and her eyes were swimming with a hostile glint. "What did you say to me?"

I licked my lips. "You're a _fucking_ fake."

The vampire growled, pressed downwards and crushed her lips to my own. She was rougher than before; her touch was hard and forceful, and I could not help the aroused exhale that tore its way from my lungs. Her teeth caught at my bottom lip, and I felt a pulse of heat pass like a wave through my body as the tips of her canines dug into the fleshy tissue of the inside of my mouth. I arched my back, the muscles of my jaw tightened, and my legs rose to wrap themselves around the curve of her hips. She didn't bite down to break the skin, but, God, for a split second I wished she would have. I could feel the thrum of my own breath and pulse against the drums of my ears, and the rhythmic tattoo alone was enough to drive me to the brink of insanity.

Ivy Tamwood pulled away, taking a rush of air from my lungs along with her. I couldn't decipher her expression. Her jaw was obviously clenched, brows creased together in an unkindly manner, and lips swollen red. If I didn't know the vampire personally, I'd have pegged her dominant emotion as anger as opposed to the arousal she exuded in scent and the flare in her pupils. She was straddling my hips, pinning me down and looking undeniably sexy all at once.

I was at a lack of words upon seeing the way the dark-haired Goddess trailed her hands from her hips, brushing the underside of her breasts, and coming up to stroke her flawless neck. Her movements were fluid, her eyes closed as she took the time to bask in her own fucking gorgeousness. I fisted my hands at my sides, not trusting those fingers not to grab at her in an impatient hurriedness to sate my own growing desire.

She looked down at me, hands massaging her own shoulders as she spoke almost sarcastically, "What did you call me, dear heart?"

"Faaa…"

A part of the reason I was unable to speak was because of my previous intake of alcohol, but I had to admit that the larger part of the reason was due to the gorgeous woman atop me, practically pleasuring herself solely on the feel of her hands on her own breasts.

"Fake." She corrected me. "That's what you said."

It was then that Ivy Tamwood—_Ivy. Fucking. Tamwood._—straightened her spine and pulled that nicely-fitted shirt up over her head. The room was suddenly spinning, and I blinked a few times to focus. What little coherency I had left barely had the time to register the glory of Ivy's black-lace bra before this was unhooked and also pulled up over her head.

I felt my face burn, a redness spreading across my cheeks that I had not felt there in a very long time. In an almost nonchalant fashion, the vampire grabbed one of my hands and placed the lace of her undergarment into my palm.

"I…" My mouth was open, my eyebrows up to the hairline of my scalp, and my gaze focused on the generous mounds of mammary glands that my roommate and best friend seemed to have attached to her sternum. My fingers didn't close upon the material of her bra as she placed it hurriedly into my open, twitching hand, therefore it fell onto the floor next to me. She followed it with her black eyes, a malicious smile creeping its way onto her features as she reached over to pick it up and place it within my reach once again.

"_Feel it._" She practically spat the words, seemingly unfazed by her partial nudity.

I didn't close my mouth or take my eyes off of her perfect chest, but I did close my fingers around the comfortable garment simply to please her. I was earnestly surprised when I felt the unbelievably thin material…it might as well not even have been there, it was _so fucking thin._ I actually had to tear my gaze from her breasts to watch my touch finger the bra, my thoughts shifting from its thickness to the warmth it was exuding and the fact that this was actually what _Ivy Tamwood_ used to hold those perfect boobies of hers in nice round cups.

_Lucky son of a bitch…_

"What?" Her quizzical tone sliced through my teenage-boy rationality, and I turned my head to stare once again at her breasts.

"What?" I repeated, tranced.

"What did you just say…?"

I then realized I had spoken aloud. Fortunately, my inebriated state was enough to save the shame and embarrassment, that a situation like this would normally elicit, for a later date. "Oh. I was talking to the bra."

"Of course you were," she chuckled, perhaps amused at my stupidity.

The sultry vampire scooted her perfect butt backwards to straddle the lower part of my thighs, and stretched her torso along the length of mine in much the same way a cat would. I shivered at her touch, the feel of her bare chest pressing against my clothed one. Once again, I was at a loss for words as we came face-to-face, her dark eyes piercing into my soul, and that glorious beaming smile of hers sending my heart pulsing like a jackhammer. Ivy held this position for what seemed like forever, before emitting a soft _tsk tsk tsk._

"It's all me, baby."

I swallowed hard. "Yes. Yes, it is. I-I'm sorry."

"I like your manners." She whispered the words in a tone that was sexy and confusing. I couldn't tell the vampire's concrete intentions and feared I'd be left in sexual limbo, all until she inched forward and pressed her lips to mine once more. I melted within her touch, my limbs going numb as I simply basked in everything that was purely Ivy. Her scent, her taste, and the beautiful soft sounds she would emit when I would take the effort to slip my tongue between our lips to meet hers.

Neither of us was in control of the kiss, we each had out little ego trips where we would push forward that much more to direct the other's lips exactly the way we wanted it. Ivy kissed differently than I had thought she would, however. Her rough, domineering exterior seemed almost forceful, frightening. But I realized that no matter the mood or current state the vampire was in, the touch of her lips was always soft, inviting, a swell of flesh that could not be ignored even for a second. When her mouth came down upon mine, my mind shifted to paste. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. No matter how hard I pushed her face with my own, brought her towards me with the harsh scratch of my nails, or brought my pelvis up to meet hers, she mirrored my actions in quite the opposite manner. Our kiss was almost akin to a synchronized dance, making it hard to decipher who was, in fact, leading the entire ordeal. She was calm, collected, smooth and warm, when I couldn't help but be hard, impulsive, clumsy and hot.

I wanted her.

There was nothing more that I desired at that very second than to have every inch of Ivy Tamwood covering the entire expanse of myself. The leisurely pace the gorgeous woman had decided to settle upon was not one I agreed with, and despite the forceful and ineloquent shoves I gave her every now and again, she didn't comply with my greed.

"Shh..." Her lips left mine for a few seconds simply to emit that soft, soothing shush.

Afterwards, the warmth of her mouth was upon me again, as her hands expertly descended to the hem of my baggy shirt, pulling it softly upwards to reveal my bare stomach. I felt goosebumps course over my body almost instantly, as the cold of the air around us washed through my figure, the hardwood against my back not helping my corporeal temperature. Her cool hands were suddenly upon me, my flesh, nails scratching intricate patterns against my ribcage as her touch rose to arouse my breasts.

I arced into her touch, a soft sound coming from my lips as Ivy pressed her fingers harder onto me, almost the way one would massage another. She was not soft. Unlike the feel of her lips, my best friend seemed to consider it a necessary evil to keep my toes curled as she roughly explored my body for the first time. Her thumbs pressed into my and felt their way under my ribs; she examined me, pressed against me, letting the tips of her fingers find every single nook and cranny that would make me buck and beg her for more. She was a quick learner, her hands coming around my waist to grab at my hips and pull me closer into her body, her mouth still firmly pressed to mine and her tongue finding it's way between out lips to teasingly flirt with the inside of my mouth. No man had ever touched me like this before, and I couldn't believe the way Ivy was taking ownership of me in such a smooth but forceful manner.

The tug-of-war-like push and pull of Ivy's greedy desires to see me plead for my pleasure was drawn out over the course of what seemed like hours on end. Long enough, in fact, that I slowly felt my coherency swimming back to me as time progressed. The faster I felt my rationality sweeping through my mind, the more it became confusing to me how Ivy hadn't even hinted at venturing towards my nether regions since this whole ordeal had first begun.

My head automatically tilted upwards as the vampire nuzzled my neck, demanding access, and before I was aware of it, my best friend had begun to kiss a trail from the line of my jaw, down my jugular, and finally planting a genuine kiss upon my clavicle. Her touch had since become softer, more pleasant, less arousing; almost a massage upon my suddenly sore muscles and a calming presence for my throbbing head. The palms of her hands were still directly upon my bare flesh, beneath the over-sized t-shirt that I had thrown on what seemed like days ago.

Ivy pulled away suddenly, propping herself up on her elbows on either side of me, and resting her chin in the palms of her hands as she stared at me as if I were the light of the world. Her eyes had come back to their natural chocolate colour, and there was a faint smile curving her beautiful lips.

I couldn't help the stretch that my shoulders began, the rest of my body following in a not-so-smooth fashion, until I heard a satisfying _crack_ at the base of my spine.

"Welcome back, love." Ivy breathed the words, a soft expression crossing her features.

"Hey, there," I responded, perplexed at the sudden change in ambiance. "What's, umm…what's going on?"

The vampire reached over to give me a quick, chaste peck on the cheek, before she rose to a seated position. The gorgeous woman was still sitting on me, of course, but there was something about the scene and the way she was acting that seemed…off. I didn't dare sit up myself, as I knew that this would bring us both to eye-level and she might do something both of us would regret. Instead, I remained lying down, with Ivy straddling my hips, and a worried expression slowly creeping it's way upon my brows.

"Kiss me?" The enquiry surprised me, and I simply lay there, mouth open and uncanny thoughts racing through my mind at a speed I was not at all used to.

Ivy let out a soft sound of acknowledgement, and pulled one of her legs up and off of me, so that she was seated at my side. As soon as she did this, I pulled my body upright to sit beside her, crossed my legs, and folded my arms across my chest. It was then that I noticed Ivy Tamwood still wasn't wearing a shirt; those dark, succulent nipples still very much in evidence as the vampire made no conscious effort to hide them.

"What?" I asked, "What is it?"

"How are you feeling?" She asked the question as if I wasn't the most perplexed living thing on this planet, and she was the only person that could help me understand just what in the hell was going on. When I didn't answer her, she simply looked even sadder than she had before.

She stood, grabbing her shirt in the process, pulling it over her chest in one, swift motion.

"Ivy!" I called out after her when she began to walk away, and she turned, her eyes a cheerless mixture of chocolate and dark desire. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath, as if trying to hold back what may have been a livid anger, or a heart-breaking sadness. "I wasn't going to fuck you when you were drunk, Rachel. It didn't matter how hard you pushed me, it wasn't going to happen. I didn't want to be hurt again."

My pulse began to pound when I felt my body slam back into the plane of conscious reality, the pheromones Ivy had been pushing out suddenly miserable and tasteless. As soon as the alcohol had begun to wear off and I had become inebriated with the presence of Ivy Tamwood, my mood had shifted. She, on the other hand, had expected me to react the same way as I had before. I had proven once and for all to Ivy that all she was, was a tool to me. One I used for protection, company, and now…pleasure.

"I'm leaving, Rachel." Her words were pained. "Hope isn't even enough anymore."


	2. The Product

"Ivy!" I felt the muscle that was my heart twist in coordination with the top half of my body as I turned to face her. "What happened?"  
There was a physical hurt in my chest, a ripping sensation that I had never experienced before, tearing its way through me like a wild animal. "I wasn't going to _fuck you_ when you were drunk, Rachel. It didn't matter how hard you pushed me, it wasn't going to happen. I didn't want to be hurt."

The lack of comprehension she exuded cut through me even more.

"Again." I spat the last, pained attachment of that sentence and it felt like I was stepping on a part of myself as I did.

Her expression softened as that minuscule portion of rationality she possessed began to surface. Nonetheless, she still said nothing. The silence of unspoken promises and opportunities struck at my battered emotions, pounding my despair in a way that made me wonder if this was something I could not escape. Even after everything, I could not have the smallest of my desires. It wasn't fair. _She_ wasn't fair.

"I'm leaving, Rachel." The words left my mouth like acid dripping from my tongue. "Hope isn't even enough anymore…"

My sentence wasn't finished; the words that still needed to be said were clogging up at the hollow of my throat and filling my larynx with the sharp, jagged edges of their hatred. I turned on my heel and coughed once, my subconscious thinking it would help cleanse the uncomfortable feeling. It was like even my _mind_ didn't want me angry with this girl. I couldn't tell her exactly what she had done to me, how she had thrown me around all these years as if I wasn't capable of being hurt. I couldn't. Because, in all that she had put me through, and all the agony that I had undergone to keep her sweet, naïve heart intact, God help me, I still loved her.

I was still in love with Rachel.

"Th-that's not fair!" Her loud stutter made my heart pound even harder. "Ivy! Stop! That's not fair!"

I didn't turn around to face her, but my body did come to a halt. I stood there for a few moments, expecting the witch to finish her sentence, resume it, or at least offer somewhat of an elaboration. I felt those emerald globes pierce my back as I stood there, seconds away from breaking down into either heart wrenching tears, or a very inhumane form of anger. My jaw locked as my fists did the same, a piercing sensation of needles stinging the back of my eyes. Something heavy settled itself at the base of my windpipe, and I began to feel in my temples the vibrations of my teeth grinding against each other.

_ Ugh. I'm not going to cry now, dammit._

"Don't try to argue against _justice_, Rachel. Don't you dare."

I heard the witch stand up with a huff of displeasure, and before she could get close enough to lay a hand on my shoulder, I whirled around and crouched, my instincts taking charge. Her eyes went wide, those piercing green irises shimmering with a mixture of hurt emotions. Her red hair was wild, untamed, branching off into a million of separate directions and yet seeming to frame her gorgeous face in ever such a perfect fashion.

"Just…stop for a second, okay?" Her expression shifted to exasperation, worry and depression slinking from her tone. "Don't do that. Stop doing that. You're judging me based off of a single stupid thing I did, and now it's fucked everything up."

I couldn't help but raise my chin higher, pride sinking its nails into my muscles and wringing them tighter together as my brain worked to find something to say.

"I need time, dammit!" Her eloquent trail of thought was set into motion once more, everything I had wanted to say recoiling back into the oblivion of my fear. "You can't say something and expect me to find the right answer in the following three fucking milliseconds. Just…wait. Don't leave, Ivy. Please. C-can I just put you on pause? Or something? Can I pause you for the next little while so I can _think_ to myself without having to stare into those huge and miserable brown eyes of yours?"

I kept my jaw locked, my eyes fixed on hers.

"Okay! Okay, okay, okay…" Rachel let out a prolonged exhale, and tore her gaze from mine before she continued, footsteps quiet upon the hardwood as she paced back and forth. "I was home alone while you were out fighting the very roots of evil, and, and, and, umm, Jenks was taking care of his beautiful family, and, and I couldn't find Rex anywhere, since I think she's gone back to hating me, and, so, and I was just _there_! Home. As I always am. So, yeah, I took a few drinks, and then I cried softly to myself, and then I took a few more drinks, and, and then the bottles were suddenly empty, and then _you_ came in, and, and then, and…"

Her repetitive and awkward stammers seemed to bubble inside her throat all of a sudden, and before I could tell her she didn't need to go on, Rachel burst into tears. She inhaled through her nose in a rather ungraceful fashion, her sinuses offering the upsetting sounds of her distress if the redness in her cheeks wasn't already apparent enough. My hands remained fisted at my sides, the tension from my locked jaw starting to find its way to my skull. I didn't know whether or not it was appropriate to approach the poor girl.

"I don't want you to leave, Ivy…" Rachel barely got the words through intakes of breath, her bloodshot eyes coming up to meet mine. "I don't want this to be the thing that fucks it all up. Not this. Not when I—"

She stopped.

I felt the blood rush back into the muscle that gave me life, pumping it in an irregular manner as my pupils dilated and my nostrils flared. There was a thick scent of female arousal lingering in the air around us, mixed in with all the confusion, anger, and vulnerability. Light cramps dug their way down my arms and into the palms of my hands, forcing my fingers to flex in order to dispel the uncomfortable feeling.

The very _last_ thing I needed right now was to scare Rachel off with my primal nature.

I tried to remain as casual as my body would allow, ignoring the racing thoughts that were cascading over me, wave after wave. I didn't dare say anything to cut through the tight silence that had settled in around us, through fear that if I hinted at her mood, she would fall into a defensive state. Rachel didn't know I knew what she was feeling; she never did. But, _God_, I could smell it:

The raw, very-female tangy scent of arousal coursing through the younger, redheaded woman before me. _Fuck. _My dilated pupils and heightened senses caught immediate sight of the slight way she nibbled at her lower lip with the top row of her teeth, the subtle cracking of her knuckles, the racing tattoo of her pulse. A new, fresh coat of liquid desire caught the attention of my sense of odour, my nostrils flaring as it intermingled with the wetness already present at the baseline of her undergarments. _Fuck._ I was almost certain that she was speaking again, likely babbling on apologies and excuses for idiotic behaviour, but the one and only thing my mind would let me focus upon was that glorious, mind-numbing scent that invaded my thoughts and messed with my coordination abilities. I found myself leaning forward, closer, inches at a time.

"—nd I don't want to be the reason that things don't work out with us, and this, and, and…everything." I tuned in once more, my gaze locked on the nervous way her hands fiddled with one another. "I just can't do this if you keep expecting me to be the smart-little-decision-maker that knows exactly what to do and how to act and what to say and I'm sorry that I can't be the person you want me to be and the person you deserve to have and I'll never be that exact person but I hope you can try to find something worth staying for because I don't want you to go and I really like you and—"

"Rachel!" I cut her off, holding back the knowing grin that wanted to burst upon my features. "Stop. I don't think I heard a single punctuation mark in the contents of what you just said. You need to calm yourself, dial it all down, okay?"

"O-okay…"

"What are you trying to say?" I asked her this, even though I already knew.

"I…I don't want you to leave."

I licked my lips, determined to push her as far as I could. "Why?"

The rapidity of my pulse was the only indicator I needed to know that my body was releasing quite the healthy dose of pheromones, and I loved that I could see how much, as reflected in Rachel's red cheeks. Her scar was throbbing just as much as her groin, and she averted my eyes every time our gazes locked for more than a few moments.

"Because you're my best friend."

I took a generous step forward, and she stumbled backwards in surprise. I didn't want to admit that it was my instincts taking over, but the devilish smile that found its way to my lips certainly hadn't arisen from my homosexual tendencies. It was the predator within me that turned my movements fluid and sensual, my hips suddenly placed in prominence to elicit an unintentional peek from her part that only fuelled my hunt further.

"Cut the crap, dear heart…" I spoke to her in the low octave that had since become so familiar to me when I couldn't control the racing heat that sizzled through my chest.

My hands rose to rest against my hips, the tips of my fingers tingling for her flesh in a way they never had before. _She was sober. She was coherent._ I felt my heart squeeze in the cavity of my ribs as I registered the nervous way she would intertwine her fingers with each other prior to flexing her shoulders back and forth. _She was shy._ I might as well have been able to hear the thoughts shooting through her mind for all it was worth: I knew exactly what she wanted. This was it. All these years of waiting and this flimsy game of tug-of-war was over. Rachel was metaphorically lying face-first in the dirt before me, and I had managed to pull every last inch of the thick rope into my own hands. All I needed now was a confession.

"Just…just give me a minute."

"No." I stated the word simply. "No more time, Rachel. You've had enough. Time, as it seems, is your greatest enemy. I'm done with all of this."

I wasn't going to make the first move, either. I had decided this as soon as she flinched away from my lover's touch moments ago. If the witch wanted anything from me from here on out, she was going to have to pull up her pants and get it herself. Her gaze caught mine for a split second, giving me the information I needed to know: she had found out what was going on. I assumed she figured it all out when I spoke to her in that harsh and clipped manner as opposed to being broken, frightened, or furious.

She bit her bottom lip and took in a deep breath, eyes leaving my locked gaze and focusing upon an insignificant portion of the room in quite the conspicuous manner. Her pulse began to rise in speed, thoughts likely racing through her mind in such a way that made me desperate to hear what she was thinking at the moment.

Before I could gather the oxygen in my lungs to ask her, Rachel was all of a sudden on me, her hands at the sides of my face and her lips upon my own once more. Her nails dug into me in an ungraceful fashion, her sweaty palms pressing up against my heated skin over and over again. The witch forced herself onto me, our teeth clanking together every so often because of the coercive way her face pushed onto my own.

It wasn't pleasant.

"Rachel." I pushed her away with my hands on her shoulders. "What the hell are you doing?"

She looked upset, her cheeks bright red. "I thought that was…what you wanted? I thought you wanted me to show you just how much you m-meant to me."

"I wanted you to kiss me. Not claw my face off."

She made a soft sound of disappointed acknowledgement, and I laughed, turning her face towards me with the palms of my hands on her adorable red cheeks. "I'm not turning you down, love. I'm telling you to calm your raging little hormones."

Her mouth seemed to lock open in a surprised expression, and my smile grew.

"You were smoother when you were intoxicated, Rachel." My gaze dropped to her parted lips, and the tip of her tongue visible between them. "I need to know what you expect from me. I need to feel the emotions you've been hiding from me all these years. I don't want you to throw yourself at me like a wild animal because it's what you believe that I want from you. Show me exactly what it is that you want, and then simply lie back and let me handle things, yes?"

Rachel captured her bottom lip between the maws of her teeth, letting her eyes trail down my body. She looked like a lost child in a candy store that never wanted their parents to find them: confused yet ecstatic. Tentatively, she raised a hand to cup one of my cheeks, and my body sighed into her touch without my conscious permission. If the witch had any idea what kind of effects she could have upon me if she played her cards right, I was a dead woman.

I straightened my back, tightening the skin around my eyes to keep them from fluttering shut at the feel of her gentle touch. Our eyes met, and she smiled the first genuine smile I'd seen her lips wear all evening.  
"Hey, there." She greeted me with a mocking tone, but I felt like I was being introduced to someone new.

I cleared my throat. "Hey."

"I've seen you 'round here," she began, holding back a throaty laugh. "Was wondering if you'd like to go for coffee some time...?"

I couldn't help myself; I leaned forward, kissed her once, softly, on the lips, pulling back with a smile. She let her eyes roam over me once more, my kiss seeming to give her a new sense of self-confidence. The hand she held at my cheek began to shake gently, drifting lower to brush against the sensitive flesh of my neck. I inhaled a sharp intake of breath, making her eyes snap back up to mine with an alluring and self-assured rapidity. I saw the corner of her mouth twitch upwards. Her cheeks began to blossom once more. She bit her bottom lip again, and my mouth began to water as she continued unwrapping her new present.

Her gentle touch roamed even lower to finally cup my breast, her palm flexing inwards and outwards as Rachel's sexual orientation began to visibly shift. The progression of this alteration, I decided, was marked in the adorable twitching of her facial features as her hand became more and more marking.

She looked away from my chest and back up at me, eyes wild. "I want this."

"Anything else?" My mouth went dry.

Rachel reached out with her free hand and grabbed hold of my own, bringing it towards herself and forcing my open palm to her own small breast. "This too."

I could barely control the desperation pounding in my chest.

"Anything else?"

There was nothing separating my erect nipple from the teasing strokes of her fingers but the thin top I had put back on moments ago. I couldn't care less where I'd flung my bra. Her free hand was suddenly on my waist, pulling me closer until our noses were inches apart.

"This?" I raised an eyebrow at Rachel, all of a sudden expert in the _fucking around_ department, and she laughed softly, kissing my lips with hers. "I want everything, Ivy."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Mmm. That's all I needed to hear, dear heart."

Rachel let out a small squeal when I picked her up off of the ground and into my arms, a sense of what I would almost call "relief" washing over me. She was sober. She wanted me. I could have her, finally, after all this time, the way I wanted to have her. She was sure. My arms tightened around her, and an evil grin found it's way upon my lips as my thoughts shifted to a scene that was much more suited to the bedroom than a hardwood floor.


End file.
